Today we’d like to introduce you to James Govier.
Hi James , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in the small town of Ansley, Nebraska. After high school, I joined the Army National Guard to both serve my country and to help pay for college. After several years of school, I explored a variety of jobs before landing in sales. I spent 10 years managing a furniture store in Lincoln, Nebraska, followed by a year as a district representative for an insurance company.
Eventually, I decided that I wanted to do something completely different. Cooking had always been a passion of mine and my house had become the go to spot for friends and family gatherings, so I set my sights on becoming a chef. An aunt and uncle of mine who have a coffee farm in Kona Hawaii heard that I wanted to become a chef and invited me to visit the culinary school near where they live in Hawaii. After visiting the school, I made the move to Kona, enrolled in culinary school, and lived in my aunt and uncle’s guest house while I trained.
After graduating culinary school, I worked at several restaurants and resorts along the Kona coast, including the Four Seasons, where I met my amazing wife, Sarah. We have been together for 15 years and have and incredible daughter Julia.
I spent 19 wonderful years building a life on the beautiful island of Hawaii before deciding to move to Cary, North Carolina. The move took about a year to plan. We wanted our daughter Julia to start at the beginning of a school year, and we needed to prepare our home for sale. Our reasons for moving were twofold, we wanted to be closer to Sarah’s parents and to give Julia better educational opportunities.
During that year of planning, I made another big decision, a career change. After careful research and consideration, I decided to become a Licensed Mortgage Consultant. I passed the licensing exam and now work for Tarheel Mortgage. I am very happy with my decision. I truly enjoy meeting so many wonderful people here in North Carolina and helping them with one of the biggest purchases of their life. It is a very rewarding career.
Since settling in Cary, I’ve also become a Notary Public, created my own website/blog(www.mortgagematterstip.com), joined the Cary Chamber of Commerce and the MacGregor Downs Rotary Club-which is an incredible organization that cares deeply and gives back to communities all over the world!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of challenges along the way. For starters, moving 6,000 miles from a small island in the middle of the Pacific to North Carolina is no small feat. Downsizing from 19 years’ worth of life to the bare essentials was an adventure all on its own. Then add in the rest of the logistics, finding a new home, buying cars, furnishing an entire house, and more than a few marathon shopping trips and you’ve got a full plate. We planned well, though, and made it happen. In fact, we signed the closing paperwork for selling our Hawaii home right here in Cary.
If that wasn’t enough, I also decided to change careers in my 50s. That meant learning an entirely new industry, mastering new technology, picking up a whole new vocabulary, and navigating more lending and finance laws than I ever thought I’d need to know. The mortgage loan officer exam turned out to be one of the toughest tests I’ve ever taken. After countless hours of studying, I passed on my first try, an accomplishment that only around 50% of people who take the test are able to do.
Now that I was licensed, I needed to find the right company. My original plan was to work for the same company as a close family friend back in Hawaii, but unfortunately their North Carolina licensing dragged on for months. Eventually, I started exploring other options, and within a few weeks of searching, I found Tarheel Mortgage, and here I am.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tarheel Mortgage?
I am a licensed mortgage consultant and loan officer with Tarheel Mortgage, a licensed North Carolina Mortgage Broker that has been in business for 25 years. One of the main advantages we provide our clients with is access to the largest wholesale lenders in the country, who not only have great interest rates, but employ the latest technology to make the loan process as smooth as possible. Every one of our clients works directly with one mortgage consultant who guides them throughout the entire mortgage loan process, so you won’t be constantly speaking with different underwriters, processors, etc. Another great advantage to working with us is that per North Carolina Banking regulations, we have a Fiduciary duty to all our clients, which is not the case for Banks and Credit Unions. This responsibility includes presenting all available loan options, and by law, we can never increase our commission by steering you to a particular loan product or increasing your interest rate. Whether you want to purchase or refinance a home for low or no-money down, no mortgage insurance, or need to qualify with past credit issues, the professionals at Tarheel Mortgage can find the right loan for you. A majority of our business is from referrals or repeat customers who had a great experience using our services. We offer a large variety of loans, including FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo, and Non-QM loans. We always offer a free consultation to give you the opportunity to decide if we are a good fit for your situation.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is knowing you stayed true to your integrity and did the right thing, no matter the outcome.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tarheelmtg.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesgovier7/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarheelmortgagenc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgovier7/
- Other: https://www.mortgagematterstips.com/
